Roger Rauschenbusch Baldwin (1929–2021) was an American military serviceman and researcher.
Early life and education
Baldwin was born in Manhattan to economist Stephen Raushenbush and social reformer Evelyn Preston. After his parents' divorce, he was adopted by stepfather Roger Nash Baldwin, a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union. Baldwin grew up in Greenwich Village and completed his education at Cornell University and Columbia University.
Career
While serving in the U.S. Army, Baldwin, alongside Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel, and James McDermott, developed a statistical strategy for blackjack called Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. This work involved extensive research using Army desk calculators to optimize player odds in the game. Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Statistical Association in 1956 and influenced Edward O. Thorp's later work, Beat the Dealer.
His professional career was primarily in system administration at Union Carbide, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the City of New York. In 2008, Baldwin and his colleagues were inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame, recognizing their contributions to the game.
Bibliography
- Playing Blackjack to Win: A New Strategy for the Game of 21
Recognition
- Black Jack Hall of Fame
References
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (March 19, 2021). "Roger Baldwin, Groundbreaker in Blackjack Strategy, Dies at 91" – via New York Times.
- ^ Haney, Jeff (January 4, 2008). "They invented basic strategy". Las Vegas Sun.
- ^ "Roger Baldwin, Wilbert Cantey, Herbert Maisel and James McDermott".
- Johnson, John (March 23, 2021). "Man Who Revolutionized the Game of Blackjack Has Died". Newser.